Daegu Hamji Mountain Fire Extinguished After 23 Hours
A large-scale wildfire that occurred on Hamji Mountain in Daegu's Buk-gu has been extinguished after 23 hours.
Kim Jeong-ki, the head of the integrated command center at the wildfire site, announced that the main fire was extinguished around 1 PM on the 29th. Although there were no casualties from the fire, 260 hectares of forest, equivalent to the size of 370 soccer fields, were destroyed.
Kim emphasized, "Although the main fire is under control, there is still a danger as embers may reignite under thick layers of fallen leaves or beneath rocks," and stated that they would mobilize personnel from the city, district, county, and fire services to carry out 24-hour monitoring and extinguishing activities for any remaining embers.
As a result, 214 residents who were staying in seven evacuation centers, including Paldal Elementary School and Maechon Elementary School, have been allowed to return home, and swift measures will be taken to assess and support any property damage.
Due to the ongoing dry weather, an emergency administrative order, including a ban on entering the mountain, will be maintained for the time being. The integrated command center is investigating the cause of the wildfire in collaboration with the district office, fire department, and police, and plans to request an investigation from the police to apprehend the perpetrator.
The fire started in Hamji Mountain in Nogok-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu, at around 2:02 PM the previous day, in an area where entry had been prohibited.
Spreading rapidly due to strong winds, approximately 1,200 residents were evacuated. There were concerns that the fire would spread to residential areas overnight, prompting the Korea Forest Service to deploy S-70 helicopters capable of night flights and high-performance firefighting vehicles to prevent further spread.
Image source: On the afternoon of the 29th, the second day of the Daegu Buk-gu Hamji Mountain wildfire, helicopters from the Korea Forest Service and military helicopters are seen dropping water from the sky during the firefighting operation / News1
